The present invention relates generally to an apparatus used in connection with an ornamental lighting display.
Various ornamental lighting displays are known and used to decorate interior and exterior spaces. Ornamental displays are particularly used during holiday seasons, such as Christmas or Easter.
One type of ornamental lighting consists of a plurality of bulbs connected in series with an insulating wire between successive lights. Such a strand of lights may be draped around a Christmas tree or hung along a window frame or along a roof or side of a house, building or other such structure. Additionally, the strand may be wrapped around the trunk of a tree or a pole to provide ornamental lighting of the tree or pole. Further, the strand may be draped throughout branches of a tree to provide for lighting of the tree.
It is known in the art to provide a group of elongate tubular members to simulate tree branches bearing lights. These tubular members are attached to a tree to simulate the appearance of lighted tree branches. It is also known to string such ornamental lights in a movable and flexible net that may be draped over an object having any type of contour. Other known apparatus include an ornamental lighting frame in the shape of a star that has a number of small openings, each having a retainer, so that light bulbs may be supported by the frame.
It is also known that a preformed design, such as a candy cane, may be fabricated with a plurality of openings in which to insert light bulbs, and having interior wires connected thereto, thus providing for a lighted display while hiding the interior wires. Further, it is also known that wire or similar material may be shaped into a frame having the appearance of various objects including, for example, a reindeer, Santa Claus, or a Christmas tree. These frames may then have strings of lights attached to them to provide for an ornamental display in the desired shape.
There are certain problems with these known apparatus for lighting displays. For example, it is not possible to create a unitary display between an ornamental lighting frame and a permanent object, such as a tree or light post, as the frame generally cannot be attached to the object effectively. Even if such known frames are attached to a stationary object, the lighting provided by the display does not provide for continuous lighting between the object and the frame. Further, such a frame does not utilize the stationary object's properties (i.e., size, mass, and shape) effectively. Rather, such a frame uses the stationary object only to remain stationary or suspended. These frames do not envelop or engulf any portion of the stationary object into its design, the design thereby remaining separate from the object. Great amounts of raw materials are required to build a unitary display of the prior art, as only a frame alone can create a unitary display. It is therefore desired to create a uniform lighting display between an object and an ornamental lighting frame so that when activated it appears that the object and lighting frame are a unitary object.